Founded in 1881, the University of Connecticut has granted master's and doctoral degrees since 1941. Designated a Research I University by the Carnegie Foundation, UConn places strong emphasis on research and scholarship in 66 fields of study, 62 of which are at the doctoral level. These include the arts, humanities, social sciences, physical and life sciences, business, public affairs, public health, and social work.

The University has a number of leading edge facilities, centers and institutes. The 3,000-seat Homer Babbidge Library has a holding of 2.4 million volumes. Others include the Institute of Materials Science, the Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the African American Studies Institute, the Institute for Social Inquiry (which includes the Roper Center for Public Opinion Survey Research, the largest public opinion data archive in the world), and the National Undersea Research Center.

The University is committed to enhancing cultural diversity at all student faculty and staff levels. Among its 3,700 faculty and staff, 15,000 undergraduates and 7,000 graduates students, about twelve percent are minority. Many types of financial support are available for graduate students, including teaching and research assistantships, lectureships, fellowships, and need-based awards. Assistantships come with tuition waiver and health benefits, and pay in the range of $14,000/academic year, depending on experience.

The main campus at Storrs is pleasantly situated in rural northeastern Connecticut, about 40 minutes from Hartford and within easy reach of Boston, New York and New Haven. While picturesque with its stone walls, rolling hills, forest, and hiking trails, the University remains well-connected with the greater northeast metropolitan area.